rayzor

9 minutes ago, KillerKat said:

Can we keep it to just who the Panthers sign?

we'll do another thread for that.

44 minutes ago, Mr. Scot said:

With this many draft picks, the pinned topics take up half the page

and we still have udfas coming. we'll stick them all into one thread though.

36 minutes ago, Ncpantherfan71 said:

Hang in there, I had my left shoulder joint roto rootered a few years ago.  Easily the most pain I have ever been in.  Had to have help tucking my shirts in and therapy was a bitch.  Took a year to finally get back to normal and it was almost worth it.  Back to limited movement after 10 years...

thanks. i hope its not that bad for me. i've got too much going on. i can't afford to take that long to get back to normal. i mean some things i don't mind like having to have my wife help with showers because my wife is awesome, but i really need to get rolling soon. 

1 minute ago, Floppin said:

I mean, they all might suck nuts. You just don't know until they play but right now I'm HYPE AS fug. I feel that this could definitely be one of our best drafts ever if not probably the best if everyone works out like I think they might.

it's hard not to be excited about this haul. it's hard not to be excited to see what this team of fitt and rhule do with one year under their belt. going to be amazing to watch. 

yep, excellent job @Jackofalltrades!

need this guy on special teams blocking kicks.

whelp

is that a question or an answer?

might be time for some new blood here as well.

i may be misremembering, but watching Nixon's highlight vids reminds me of watching kk short's videos coming into his draft. just that disruptive speed getting into the backfield.

he did some, not a lot, of kick returning and looked like he was ok. didn't do any punt returning that i saw. takes a special breed of nut to do that.

https://www.si.com/nfl/seahawks/gm-report/seahawks-2021-draft-profile-shi-smith

Strengths

Smith is one of the fastest receivers in this draft class. Among the pro day results around the country, Smith owns the fourth-fastest 40-yard dash time at 4.33. He combines his elite speed with soft, 9^3/4-inch hands. 

The South Carolina product is athletic and aware, presenting good coordination when the ball is in the air and headed his direction. He uses his 5-foot-10, 186-pound frame to make adjustments to errant throws and make contested catches. As a route runner, his speed and shiftiness pay dividends. 

His skillset also plays well in the return game or on gadget plays such as reverses. His game-changing speed bodes well in a host of different situations. 

Despite inconsistent play at quarterback for the majority of his Gamecocks career, Smith accumulated 2,204 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns in four seasons. In the return game, he averaged 21.9 yards per kickoff return in 2019. 

He missed just four games in four years at South Carolina, testifying to his durability. 

Weaknesses

Despite his awareness and use of his body, his frame is, as noted, rather small. At times, he attempts to play bigger than he is instead of using his strengths like speed and athleticism. 

Due to his lack of size and overall strength, he can get out-muscled at the line of scrimmage or on a deep ball while fighting with longer, stronger defensive backs. 

22 minutes ago, TheRumGone said:

Yeah that’s why I figured a practice squad spot isn’t necessarily bad for him. He can be called up for spot duty if we have injuries. If he has special teams ability that will help him get a jersey on game days. Nobody should expect this guy to be a major contributor this year tho. 

practice squad would be dangerous, though. could see him getting snagged by another team. Would rather have one of the other guys picked off.

5 minutes ago, BrianS said:

With the Deonte Brown pick, it looks like we do view the guy as a tackle.

i think so and i think he's got the skillset. short arms thing is overplayed.

i don't know about a day one starter, but we've had worse starting at LT so maybe he could be.

watch this:

4 minutes ago, MadHatter said:

Many say that if he can trim down another 20 lbs, he would gain more quickness and be a force in a zone blocking scheme.

get that man a nutritionist and a personal chef.

he was 450 as a freshman.

2 minutes ago, TheRumGone said:

I’m just saying there’s gonna be a competition between those lower tier guys and it wouldn’t surprise me if he ended up on the practice squad or not getting much playing time. Not sure if he has any special teams ability. 

true. i'm not sure about the special teams stuff, but i'm sure he's got the wheels to be a good gunner. it may take time for him to be a starter, but in a year or two i can see it. this year it would probably be situational stuff he gets brought in on, but he would be able to hang with some of the better WRs in the league when he does. 

1 minute ago, TheRumGone said:

Horn, donte and AJ are locks right now. Then we have Troy pride, Stanley Oliver, Melvin, Jalen, and this guy. They’re gonna be competing for a spot in training camp. So I would not be surprised to see Taylor go to the practice squad. There’s definitely gonna be a competition for those last spots.

the problem is, how many of those guys on the roster fit the aggressive man scheme it looks liker we're going to be heavily moving towards? more likely to see a lot of those other 'maybe' type players not on the team than taylor on the practice squad.

1 minute ago, Pazhoosier89 said:

Apparently Mrs. Rhule made the pick.

 

 

that's great.

lots of people thinking that we're just throwing darts at a board blindfolded but i don't think that there's a guy we're taking that we aren't genuinely interested in. they collected a lot of picks because they really see something in a lot of guys. they did their work where a lot of teams didn't this year. 

yep. looking for some really aggressive man coverage going on. i'm sure there will be flags, but they won't be able to get a flag thrown every time we get handsy. 

they will play some zone, i'm sure, but it's pretty clear they want to be as aggressive as possible and they need to be considering who we've got to face.

keith taylor wasn't just throwing poo at the wall. he's not just camp fodder. he's the type of player that we are obviously trying to move towards in the type of defense we're adopting.

3 minutes ago, TheRumGone said:

This guy isn’t gonna see the field much. Practice squad more than likely. 

i don't know. seems like there is going to be pretty open competition for CB. The room doesn't have a whole lot of people in it. 

1 minute ago, mrcompletely11 said:

Josh had the trait that I love.  “I am going to rip your head off”.  You cannot test for it but it clearly propels you in this league.  

he was more the mouthy type of guy who kept saying "i'm going to rip your head off" but who ends up just doing a lot of talking. A LOT of talking.

seems like we're going to be doing a lot of man coverage and backing way off the off-man poo. dude is tall, pretty fast (although probably not quick enough to handle fast and shifty slot guys). he's also really aggressive and a good wrap-up tackler. like horn, he's probably going to be getting a few flags, but i'm ok with that. better than allowing receptions and TDs. looks like a good option to have on the field with horn. 

https://www.bigblueview.com/2021/3/24/22326153/2021-nfl-draft-prospect-profile-keith-taylor-jr-cb-washington-scouting-report-ny-giants

Quote

 

Keith Taylor Jr. is an outside cornerback prospect with the length, foot quickness, coverage skills, and athleticism to play corner in the NFL.

Taylor typically aligned at outside cornerback for the Washington defense, playing man, off-man, and zone coverages. He is at his best in man coverage, using his foot quickness and long speed to stay with receivers throughout their routes. Taylor is a physical player in tight man coverage, using his length to disrupt early in the route as well as to be disruptive at the catch point. He has the length to play around or through receivers, He shows solid awareness in zone coverage, with the range to get depth quickly and control a relatively large area of the field.

 

Taylor is a solid tackler, with good physicality and form. He generally wraps ball carriers up and is unafraid of contact. He is a willing run defender as well as a reliable tackler in space.

Taylor’s aggressiveness can get the better of him in particularly tight press-man coverage, as he can get overly grabby, which can result in pass interference calls. He can also be too quick to bail in off-man coverage, at times guessing and getting too much depth when the receiver runs a short route. He can also get caught looking in the backfield in those situations.

Taylor is a fairly high-cut corner and while his foot quickness is enough to compensate for high hips against most outside receivers. However, he shouldn’t be lined up inside against quicker slot receivers.

 

i can see all of these traits easily. the guy is a quick, relentless, and heavy hitting disruptor.

11 minutes ago, Zod said:

He’s good at getting skinny and darting into gaps in order to attack the run or cause blocking schemes to come off track.

Strengths

• Slippery with efficient slide-and-go shots into the gap.
• Knives in and shoots upfield to disrupt blocking scheme.
• Above-average lateral movement for reactive tackles in his gap.